MONROVIA — The Director-General-designate of the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), Mr. Richard Ngafuan, has vowed to restore public trust and confidence in all processes leading to the conduct of data collection and national census in the country.
By Obediah Johnson
Mr. Ngafuan said he will renew confidence not only through the quality of data collection, but through the integrity of all the fiduciary processes.
According to him, adherence to the Public Financial Management and Public Procurement law and regulations of Liberia will be key in the restoration of citizens and donors confidence in the activities of the agency when confirmed to the position by the Senate.
He gave the assurance when he appeared for confirmation before the Senate Committee on Autonomous Agencies and Corporations on Monday, February 19.
Mr. Ngafuan vowed to ensure the publication of an annual State of the Liberia Population report which could be used to track national development and depict the progress made toward achieving key development milestones.
He pointed out that his administration will build a new cadre of competent statisticians by accelerating the training of staff of LISGIS through the World Bank HISWA project.
He stressed that a new National Strategy for the Development of Statistics will be drafted and submitted to lawmakers to ensure support in funding the various components of this flagship document.
“We will collaborate with our international counterparts in the African region and beyond to share best practices to ensure data comparability across countries.”
“We will keep advocating and appealing for budgetary increment to enhance statistical data collection, analysis, and dissemination across the country and improve the condition of people working at the statistics house.”
He noted that the agency, under his watch, will also work with the government and its international partners, to fill existing data gaps through surveys and censuses related to their various development assistance frameworks.
Mr. Ngafuan added that geospatial data collection through GIS and remote sensing will also be upgraded to meet international standards.
“We will not only collect but we will analyze and disseminate our results to our all people. Whether in the remotest parts of the country, we will reach out to our people through all possible forms of print and electronic media and other traditional information dissemination mechanisms.”
He said his administration will also develop and maintain comprehensive National Statistical and Spatial Data System.
This, he disclosed, will mean creating a data warehouse at LISGIS that will serve as a central hub for data storage and data analysis.
Mr. Ngafuan, who collaborated with the LISGIS Cluster Working Group of the Transition Team, however, observed that the Statistics House encounters numerous challenges in fulfilling its crucial role in national development.
He stressed that these challenges span from operational, infrastructural, and human resource dimensions, presenting a complex situation that demands immediate attention and a unified approach for resolution.
According to him, a primary concern for LISGIS is its inadequate internet and communication technology infrastructure.
“This deficiency significantly undermines the institution’s ability to efficiently carry out data collection, analysis, and dissemination processes- all fundamental aspects of LISGIS operations.”
Mr. Ngafuan stated that there is an urgent need for human resource development at the institution.
He maintained that enhancing the skills of LISGIS staff in areas such as demography, statistics, data science, and data engineering is imperative.
“Also, the approved 2023 budget for LISGIS was $1,616,630.00, with 83.5% of its budget allocated to salaries; only 12.9% of the budget was dedicated to feasibility studies and surveys, thus making LISGIS to be highly dependent on external support in the implementation of its core mandate. Furthermore, the wage structure at LISGIS is a cause for concern. For instance, the average salary before tax for non-political appointees is $484.”
He observed that this remuneration framework negatively impacts staff morale and their capacity to produce satisfactory outcomes; with the agency currently operating with no clear development strategy.
The National Strategy for the Development of Statistics, which came into force in 2008, expired in 2013.
Mr. Ngafuan disclosed that since then, there has been no approved strategy that governs the central statistics office and other entities in the national statistical system.
He, however, observed that there can be no adequate development when our national development plans are not tied to inform decision-making through quality data.
According to him, this will mean robustly monitoring and evaluating progress made towards Liberia’s national development plan and other global development frameworks, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Sixteen years ago, Mr. Ngafuan previously served as a Demographer at LISGIS following the completion of his studies from the Obafemi Awolowo University. He was promoted as a Research Officer and later advanced to the position of Assistant Director for Census and Surveys.
While serving in the position, he worked as a key member of the 2008 Census Secretariat that worked on planning and implementing the census enumeration process and disseminating the census results.
He was later afforded the opportunity by LISGIS to pursue graduate studies in Demography at the Makerere University, in Kampala, Uganda. Upon his return to Liberia, he served as Senior Demographer at LISGIS and was later appointed as Assistant Minister for Statistics and Research at the Ministry of Labor, a position he served in until 2018.